In 1932, at the opening ceremony of the 10th Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA, people cheered and welcomed athletes from delegations from 37 countries.
In the midst of the vast procession, one delegation seemed somewhat silent.
There were six of them in all, and at the forefront was the only athlete in the delegation. He was tall, dark-skinned, slightly tired but with determined eyes, carrying the flag straight.
In the back row were his coach and a sports official, while the last three were American students, teachers and an American who had temporarily come to "cheer up."
Years later, their photos and names were recorded in the annals of China's Olympic history.
He is Liu Changchun, the "first person in the Chinese Olympic Games".
Why did he come to the Olympics alone? How did his Olympic journey fare?
In 1908, the magazine "Tianjin Youth" put forward the "Three Olympic Questions" to the Chinese people.
When will China participate in the Olympic Games? When will I win the gold medal? When will I be able to host the Olympics?
In that war-torn era, no one seemed to pay attention to these questions, when they did not know that the person who was about to answer the first question would be born in a year.
In 1909, Liu Changchun was born in Hekou Village, Dalian City, where he lost his mother at the age of nine, and his father supported his family by helping people make shoes in the county seat.
Liu Changchun, who stayed in the village, grew up with his grandfather to cut firewood, afraid of spending shoes, Xiao Changchun often took off his shoes and ran in the mountains, which exercised his strong physique and made him have an extraordinary talent for running.
In elementary school, Liu Changchun made a splash at the school sports meeting, and he refreshed the record of primary school students in Dalian at that time with the results of 100 meters 11 seconds 8 seconds and 400 meters 59 seconds.
This surprised and embarrassed the Japanese who were hosting the Games at the time.
The school where Liu Changchun studied happened to be founded by the Japanese, and they held the "Kwantung Prefecture Land Sports Conference" in order to promote their prestige and destroy China's morale.
After this appearance, Liu Changchun had a loud nickname "rabbit leg", after which he trained harder, and when he reached middle school, he was unbeatable.
Unexpectedly, the following year, due to his family's poverty, he had to drop out of school to work as an apprentice in the factory, but he did not give up, still insisted on exercising and defied all difficulties, and participated in the spring sports meeting sponsored by the Dalian Chinese Youth Association in 1927.
It was at this games that Liu Changchun attracted the attention of a person with his impressive achievements and let him go to a broader world. This person was Song Junfu, then the director of the Physical Education Department of Northeastern University.
At that time, Liu Changchun ran 11 seconds in 100 meters, breaking the record of 11 seconds and 8 seconds for the first Olympic champion, which made Song Junfu excited.
He immediately found Liu Changchun and said approvingly, "Young man, congratulations!" You are a rare sprint talent, and you will certainly make a great difference in the future, so come to our school to study physical education. ”
"Really?" Liu Changchun thought he was dreaming, he had never received systematic training in all these years, only with love and talent in persistence, but his road was too difficult.
Now when he met Bole, he shed tears of excitement and nodded desperately: "Be well."
In this way, Liu Changchun was admitted to the Physical Education Department of Northeastern University.
Here, he was even more appreciated by Zhang Xueliang.
Liu Changchun can only devote himself more hard to training, repay the grace of knowledge, and not forget the expectation of the young marshal: to win glory for the country.
Every day before dawn, Liu Changchun gets up to run, do exercises, and exercise with high intensity, never stopping.
In 1929, Liu Changchun participated in the 14th North China Games as a representative of Northeastern University. He won the 100m, 200m and 400m events. The 100 meters were 10.08 seconds, a record comparable to the 1928 Olympic champion.
This means that if Liu Changchun participates in the Olympics, he is very likely to win the gold medal!
Zhang Xueliang was greatly excited, and in addition to his excitement, he took advantage of the hot iron to hold the "Sino-Japanese-German Joint Games" in Shenyang, and he excitedly patted Liu Changchun's shoulder and said: "You must not only compete with the Chinese people, but also dare to compete with foreigners!"
Liu Changchun nodded solemnly, he lived up to expectations, ran a good time of 10.6 seconds, although only 0.1 seconds after the German athletes who had won the Olympic championship, but won the Japanese sprinter with an absolute advantage.
Liu Changchun undoubtedly gave a vicious breath to Zhang Xueliang, who was fed up with the Popularity of the Japanese, on the track and field field.
What is even more respectable is that the record of 200 meters and 21 seconds and 6 seconds set by Liu Changchun in this sports meeting has been in Northeastern University for 93 years and has not been broken so far.
After this competition, Zhang Xueliang saw the hope of the Chinese people to win the Olympic Games, and he specially hired the famous German general "Buqi" as a coach to formulate a professional training plan for Liu Changchun and prepare for the future Olympic Games.
With professional guidance, Liu Changchun made great progress, and at the Fourth National Games held in April 1930, he single-handedly won all the championships in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters sprints.
Fast forward to the summer of 1931, the tenth Olympic Games in Los Angeles were about to be held, and the International Olympic Committee issued an invitation to the National Government to participate, but unexpected things happened.
At that time, the National Government in Nanjing was busy "suppressing the Communists" and had no intention of caring about the Olympic Games, so it refused the invitation on the grounds that "time was tight and it was too late to prepare."
Soon after, the "918" incident that shocked China and foreign countries broke out, the northeast fell, Northeastern University was forced to move to Beiping, Liu Changchun fled to Beiping with his classmates, and his Olympic dream was "premature".
However, at this time, there were people who "supported" Liu Changchun's participation in the Olympic Games, which was the Japanese who manipulated the establishment of the "puppet Manchukuo" in early 1932.
The Japanese urgently needed to recognize the "legal status" of "puppet Manchukuo" in the international arena, so they hit Liu Changchun with the idea of participating in international competitions on behalf of "Manchukuo".
Therefore, the Japanese found Liu Changchun's father in Dalian and began to threaten and induce: "We know where your son is, write a letter to let him come back to serve Manchukuo, promote officials and get rich, and the benefits will be great." ”
The old man hated the Japanese, where willing to write, find all reasons to shirk.
The Japanese put away their fake smiles and flashed their bayonets with a cold light: "Don't be ignorant of lifting!" Your son has to go, and if he doesn't go, he has to go, write it to me! ”
In desperation, the old man had to write the truth to his son. The Japanese took the letter and left satisfied, and Liu Changchun's family escaped from Dalian by night.
The news that "Liu Changchun will represent Manchukuo in the Olympic Games" appeared in the newspaper, and the city was full of storms for a while.
The scolding of "traitors" and "traitors" was incessant, and at this time Liu Changchun did not even receive a letter, and when he learned of the Japanese conspiracy, he was angry and "snapped" his fists against the table.
Regardless of his safety, he resolutely expressed his determination in the Ta Kung Pao:
"I am a descendant of the Chinese nation, and I will never represent the pseudo-'Manchukuo' at the Tenth Olympic Games."
Liu Changchun's statement was echoed by all walks of life, "The puppet state has rushed to move first, how can we sit still?" "To crush the Conspiracy of the Japanese!"
Under the strong pressure of public opinion and the shouts of people from all walks of life, the National Government finally agreed to let Liu Changchun participate in the Olympic Games.
However, not a penny of participation will be provided.
At this time, it is already June 26th, and the final registration time for the Olympic Games has long passed.
The Full Solidarity of the Chinese Sports Association finally impressed the Olympic Committee, and Liu Changchun caught the last train of the Olympic Games.
As for the participation funds, Liu Changchun could not afford to make up this money in any way, and at this time, Zhang Xueliang sent charcoal in the snow.
He found Liu Changchun, generously funded 8,000 silver yuan, and Yin Yin entrusted: "When the country is in trouble, we need young people with lofty ideals like you to win glory for the country and grow the ambition of the people!" ”
On July 2, the Declaration issued an exciting statement: Liu Changchun represented China in the Olympic Games, and the participation of "pseudo-Manchukuo" was pure nonsense.
Liu Changchun embarked on a one-man Olympic journey, and he was shy, and in order to save money, he could only choose a steamship.
On the day of the trip, the dock was spontaneously crowded with people who came to send off the trip, and Liu Changchun choked on tears and excitedly said to everyone: "I am deep."
Knowing the responsibility is great, do my best. ”
On the ship, Liu Changchun had a lot of thoughts, he could not calm his excitement for a long time, and the time was pressing, so he conducted simple training on the deck, not caring about the eyes of others.
However, the bumps along the way, the wind and waves, seriously overdrawn his body, in addition, he also had to deal with the bad intentions of the Japanese.
A Japanese reporter deliberately asked: "Are you Manchukuo's participation?" ”
Liu Changchun was furious and righteously said: "Of course, it represents China!" ”
The Japanese media was still not dead hearted, and sent a telegram to Liu Changchun, saying: "I wish the Players of Manchukuo a smooth sailing and a great victory." ”
Liu Changchun tore the telegram to pieces and once again made his position clear: "There are no Manchukuo representatives on board."
After 21 bumps, the day before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, Liu Changchun finally arrived in Los Angeles. The local Chinese were already waiting, and they warmly surrounded Liu Changchun, and along the way firecracker gongs and drums and car horns sounded in unison.
Liu Changchun, representing 450 million Chinese, finally came to the Olympic arena, and at this moment, he burst into tears.
Too late to rest and jet lag, or even too late to buy a pair of running shoes, Liu Changchun hurriedly attended the opening ceremony the next day.
Even if there were only 6 people in the team, even if his heart was full of bitterness, Liu Changchun still had to step out of his spirit.
He held high the flag, tears in his eyes, and his head stood tall. "My dear motherland is suffering now, and I want to raise my eyebrows and breathe for my countrymen in a foreign land," Liu Changchun thought.
On July 31, in the men's 100-meter preliminaries, Liu Changchun wore white clothes and black pants, symbolizing the white mountains and black water of his homeland, and made a starting posture, nervously waiting for the trumpet gun to sound.
With a "bang" of a gunshot, Liu Changchun rushed out like an arrow off the string, and he tried his best to leave the other athletes behind.
However, in the last 20 meters, he was overtaken by the team behind due to physical weakness, and finally missed the final with a time of 11 seconds and 1 seconds.
In the 200-meter budget, Liu Changchun also did not play at the normal level and was eliminated miserably; in the 400-meter preliminary round, Liu Changchun had to give up the race due to injury.
In this way, Liu Changchun stopped the Olympic Games and did not receive any grain, which made him feel depressed and deeply remorseful.
In fact, the bumps on the sea have long exhausted his physical strength, and he has not been able to participate in the game before he can recover, coupled with more than 20 consecutive days of failure to exercise, such a result is reasonable.
He can overcome all kinds of difficulties, and it is a great move for a person to represent the country in the Olympic Arena.
At the Olympic celebration, when the host introduced him as the only athlete in China, there was a long-lasting applause in the venue. Here, there is no war, no politics, and people are deeply moved by his Olympic spirit.
Although Liu Changchun lost the first battle and lost for a while, he quickly perked up and secretly decided to come back in four years.
Liu Changchun adjusted to the situation and made a good result at the Fifth National Games the following year, in which the 100-meter record was maintained for 25 years, until it was broken by the new Chinese athlete Liang Jianxun in 1958.
In 1936, the eleventh Berlin Olympic Games, Liu Changchun came again, this time it was no longer his "single knife to the meeting", accompanied by 69 people.
As with the last time, they still couldn't afford a ticket, opting for a cheaper steamer, this time sailing at sea for 27 days.
The same bumps, the same physical weakness, the same heartache, 27-year-old Liu Changchun once again dreamed of shattering the Olympic arena, and he cried very sadly that day.
With regret, unwillingness and pain, Liu Changchun returned to the motherland. The following year, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out in full swing, and Liu Changchun's training injuries never recovered, and his racing career was completely over.
After decades of war, Liu Changchun lived in poverty, worked everywhere, and was once arrested and imprisoned by the Japanese gendarmerie. But no matter how difficult life is, he will never compromise with the Japanese and the puppet regime.
Before the Kuomintang retreated to Taiwan, it had found Liu Changchun, a high-ranking official Houlu, who wanted to take him as a sports talent to Taiwan for development, but he was also rejected.
After liberation, Liu Changchun has been engaged in physical education and cultivating Olympic talents for the country.
After retirement, he did not enjoy his old age in peace, but wrote "Sprinting", Liu Changchun had a dream, to see Chinese athletes win the gold medal, he has been secretly waiting.
The good news is coming.
In November 1979, China regained its seat on the International Olympic Committee, which meant that we could participate in the 23rd Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 and compete on the same stage with people of different colors and races.
As the newly appointed vice president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, Liu Changchun was particularly excited.
47 years ago, he came to Los Angeles alone to play the Olympics, how he hoped that five years later, he would return to Los Angeles and see the Chinese athletes win the championship.
Regrettably, on March 25, 1983, 73-year-old Liu Changchun suddenly fell ill during a morning run and unfortunately passed away, leaving no last words on his deathbed.
But a year later, as he had hoped, a shooter named Xu Haifeng won Chinese's first gold medal in Olympic history.
The majestic national anthem resounded throughout the Olympic stadium, and the five-star red flag fluttered with the wind, but Liu Changchun could not see this exciting scene with his own eyes.
The Olympic dream of the older generation has been realized in the new generation of Olympic people, which is the inheritance.
Coincidentally, on July 25, four months after Liu Changchun's death, athletics genius Liu Xiang was born, and 21 years later, at the Athens Olympic Games, he won the gold medal in the men's 110-meter hurdles in a historic way.
In the men's 100m semifinals of the 32nd Tokyo Olympics in 2021, another athlete, Su Bingtian, broke the Asian record with a time of 9.83 seconds, Chinese stood on the Olympic 100m final track for the first time.
If Liu Changchunquan's ancestors knew about it, they would be very pleased.
In 1908, the "Three Questions of the Olympic Games" now have the answer, we not only sent Liu Changchun to participate in the Olympic Games in 1932, but also won the Olympic Championship in 1984, and successfully hosted the 29th Summer Olympic Games in 2008.
At this moment, the 24th Beijing Winter Olympic Games are in full swing.
After a hundred years, from one person's Olympic Games to more and more people participating in the Olympic Games, generation after generation of Chinese Olympics have worked hard and struggled.
These better and better achievements are the will of a nation not to be left behind and not to be humiliated, and to strive to catch up, and to embody the strength of a country from weak to strong.
No matter how brilliant the achievements are now, people will never forget Liu Changchun, the pioneer of the Chinese Olympic Games.
People will not forget his righteous statement: "I am Chinese, I only represent the motherland";
Will not forget his hardships of crossing the ocean and going to the meeting with a single knife;
Not to forget, in the hustle and bustle of the Olympic arena, the bitter figure of him holding the national flag high.
In Liu Changchun's alma mater, Northeastern University, it was established as "Liu Changchun Gymnasium". Outside the gymnasium stands a 4.6-meter-tall statue of Liu Changchun running vigorously, which tells us sonorously and powerfully that this is the soul of the Olympic Games.
Reference: China Youth Daily, "From Liu Changchun to Su Bingtian, China's Speed Across 89 Years"
-END-
Author: Silk Rain
EDIT: Leftovers
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